


A Gentle Place We Make

by leoandlancer



Series: Overwatch Standalones [4]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, First Kiss, Mutual Pining, Reading Aloud, Romantic Tea Drinking, Soft Awkward Girls in Love, that's not even a tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-16
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-18 00:00:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9352337
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leoandlancer/pseuds/leoandlancer
Summary: Despite becoming friends long before they met, Mei discovers that Zarya is intimidatingly out of her league when they finally get to work together. Zarya takes the hint and gently backs off, and they both pine for each other and wish they could go back to being friends, and reading together like they used to.(I will ride or die for Zarya being an earth-shatteringly beautiful woman who cannot believe her luck that someone as sweet and smart and terrifying as Mei loves her.)





	

_ Bench512 _ : Are you awake still?

_ Bench512 _ : I have questions for you, mostly on topic of combat, but also others! I have had some time to think of questions since we last talked.

_ Bench512 _ : Which was some time ago, but i understand that you are busy here. But if I am becoming neusance please tell me, so I will stop.

Mei smoothed the fur of her amaut she wore over her pajamas. It had been part of her first parka, and hadn't been warm enough. Now it was relegated to cosy evening wear, and at times like these, a warm and reassuringly heavy weight that shrouded Mei from the rest of the world.

_ Bench512 _ : I will be awake for little time still, if you see these I would be happy to talk xo

Mei opened up her notepad and typed rapidly into the little friendly window. She paused, read what she'd written, and hit enter twice to jump to a new entry. She typed again, slower this time, and for longer. Again, she paused, reread, frowned, and hit enter twice. She typed, stopped, typed more slowly, stopped, hit enter twice and sat staring at her screen.

The cursor blinked back at her. She couldn't send any of those replies.

The weight of the amaut settled around her as she leaned back into it. 

It hadn't been like this at first. Zarya had been the first contact Mei had been able to make at the Russian Defence Force that had responded with interest to the reformation of Overwatch. They had chatted amiably for weeks before they'd ever met, swapping stories about traveling, about their experiences in RDF and Overwatch (Mei left out exactly when those experiences had been) and then had become more personal. Mei had confessed to falling in love with the arctic when she had been stationed in Alert, for her training with Overwatch in the beginning. Zarya had spoken of her time training in Siberia. 

They discovered they had both been at the same single digit latitude at the same date (years apart) and had seen the midnight sun. They had both seen Polar Bears, hunted and eaten seal, gone to sleep amid the howl and shriek of a blizzard and woken up stranded and cold and buried alive in the snow but unmistakably  _ alive _ .

Mei had recommended favorite books she hoped Zarya would love. Zarya had confessed she wasn't much of a reader, and Mei had read her favorite book aloud into an audiofile and sent it to Zarya. Zarya had been in tears the next time they'd spoken, thanking Mei over and over. After that, Mei would read a chapter or two of a book, and Zarya would listen as attentive and absorbed as a fascinated child.

In return, Zarya offered Mei the results of her findings in her travels, her logbooks of technical data and findings, her carefully kept maps. Mei had devoured the meticulous, neat findings with relish. Later, when she complained of her neck aching, Zarya formulated in five minutes a brief, daily workout regime that completely corrected Mei's aching neck, straightened her back and eased the tension in her shoulders.

Since Zarya had joined them in person, Mei had kept up the brisk workout Zarya had prepared for her, and took her advice to stretch. She hadn't kept up her reading aloud to Zarya however. Or asking her for notes or findings. Or talking to her much at all.

The amaut slipped over Mei's eyes and for a while she sat in the warm, furry darkness of the huge hood.

They had met, finally, after weeks of chatting, weeks of logistics and conversation between Overwatch and the Russian Defence Force. Zarya had been permitted to formally ask Overwatch for support at Volskya Industries, and Mei had been Winston's first pick for the ground team.

The moment Mei stepped off the transport looked up and saw Zarya, she had been knocked literally breathless, slightly stunned and totally mute. As well as dumb. The tall, muscled woman who greeted her warmly had been welcoming, polite, excited to see her. Mei had been unable to speak for the first five minutes. Zarya's excitement visibly cooled to uncertainty and then a baffled, politely disappointed reserve. Mei was only able to stutter out apologies and half formed sentences.

Mei tugged the edge of her amaut down more firmly over her eyes. She had imagined, many times, how much better that meeting should have gone. They had been friends before they met. They had spent hours talking and laughing together. Mei had been excited to tell Zarya how well her body felt after following Zarya's advice. She had wanted to sit together reading a book she'd bought just for her friend, just for that trip. Mei had been so excited when she'd bought it for them.

Then Zarya had towered over her, huge and beautiful and kind and cool and confident and Mei had fallen in love with a force of a hammer striking an anvil. With about the same results. She'd bounced off.

Finally, Mei tucked her ankles onto the armchair she had hauled up to her room, and leaned forwards to the keyboard.

_ Snowball _ : Yes, I'm awake! ^o^ for a little longer anyway, what's up?

There, at least Mei would have a few minutes before Zarya saw the message and...

_ Bench512 _ : Good! I have question about icewall, but it can wait until tomorrow. And question about our book, can we finish together?

Mei bit her lip and really, really wished that she could have fielded whatever question Zarya might had had about the icewall. This was much harder to answer.

_ Snowball _ : Yes it has been a long time since we read together...

_ Bench512 _ : Yes! Not since I arrive here. It’s hard to come up with new routines. Which is why I ask about it. Before I make my workout schedule permanent I want to make sure I get time with you.

_ Snowball _ : Oh thank you! Sorry, I didn't realize how much time has passed since you arrived I should have been quicker to invite you to chat.

_ Bench512 _ : No, I am settling in, could not have spent much time anyway. But now it has been too long since we talked. Before you go could we read again?

_ Snowball _ : Now?

_ Bench512 _ : I will be going to lounge for zavarka, join me?

Mei chewed her lip and typed and retyped a reply into the little notepad app.

_ Bench512 _ : Zavarka ready in fifteen minutes, but if you cannot take part tonight, we will talk again soon, or leave note with when would be better, xo

Mei stopped her frantic typing as the most recent message came in. She sat chewing her lip a while longer, then slipped her feet to the floor. It wasn't particularly comfortable to sit curled in a ball, and her thighs ached. She smoothed her old pajama pants down absently, chasing the creases out of them and slowly went to get the book she'd bought to celebrate meeting Zarya for the first time weeks ago. The occasion she had looked forwards to for weeks and then crushingly failed to celebrate.

After some deliberation, she kept her amaut on, and pulled a long knitted sweater over it, took her book and gathered all her courage. The trip to the lounge wasn't a long one, Mei had one of the upper rooms, with wide windows that looked out over the sea and the sunset. The lounge was a floor below, and usually cluttered with Hana playing Lucio on the game console, occasionally joined by Genji, Lena, and less and less infrequently, the bully Junkrat. Presently, Phareha and Ana were sharing tea and talking softly in Arabic, and Torbiorn was sketching out a few designs on a huge sheet of drafting paper. Zarya was at the stove, in old sweatpants and a hoodie with the sleeves cut off at the bicep and the neck cut out of it. Mei swallowed.

"Hello!" Zarya glanced down as Mei walked over to join her. It was hard not to feel intimidated by Zarya, she towered over Mei by more than a foot, and, gentle though she was, was perfectly capable of benching Mei and her armor.

"Good evening," Mei replied, hoping her amaut covered at least some of her blush.

Zarya was busy at the stove steeping the zavarka and boiling water. Mei busied herself with reaching to get cups down and ferreting out a plate of sweets that those over the age of thirty had agreed to hide from those under that threshold. Zarya nodded her thanks as Mei set everything out at one of the little tables under the window.

"Very nice," Zarya said happily, and pulled a trivet from the top shelf without having to reach above her head for it.

How pleasant that would be, Mei thought sourly, accepting the trivet and setting it among the plates and mugs on their table, not to have to struggle to reach such things. Watchpoint Gibraltar had been set up by the contingent of Overwatch which exclusively contained members over the height of six feet, and a dwarf who climbed as a matter of professional pride. Mei's joining the base had been a depressing series of scrambling ungracefully onto counters, chairs and anything else she trusted with her weight to reach crucial items stored high up. Occasionally one of the others would catch her at it. Zarya was always helpful, as were the older overwatch members, though Junkrat had laughed himself sick, and snatched what she'd been trying to reach for before she could grab it. She hadn't noticed the bastard was six and half feet tall until he'd wanted to exert himself to embarrass her.

"There," Zarya set the little samovar down on the trivet with easy grace, and settled into her chair across from Mei. She smiled warmly and went on "Shall I pour? Have you brought book? If you do not have much time, my questions can wait."

"What other questions?" Mei asked, pausing as she passed her mug to Zarya.

"When is good time to spend time," Zarya replied. "We talk less now I am here with you. Should be corrected. Unless it is by preference on you?"

The last question came out in the same tone of voice and without any hint of hurt or malice. It took Mei a moment to realize what Zarya had said, and when she did, nearly dropper her tea.

"No no, not preference," Mei saved her tea by some miracle of dexterity, and Zarya brightened.

"Good," She said, offering the hot water.

"You're right I'm not online much anymore, but seeing each other in the Sim room isn't the same." Mei added hot water and a little honey, frowning into the beautiful smoky scented steam coming off her mug. She'd been cowardly, she knew, but it hurt to realize that Zarya might have been lonely here, without her company, she had come thinking they'd been friends. She’d come thinking she wouldn’t be totally among strangers so far from home.

"Have you brought book? Would you like to read? Or talk, we have never talked like this!" Zarya smiled over her own mug," Face to face without screen and half a world between us."

It was much better this way, and worse, and Mei looked up almost mute into Zarya's gentle happiness. Zarya could be cocky and almost arrogant in their training simulations, she taunted the others and enjoyed challenging Reinhardt. She had never shown Mei anything but courteousness and gentle friendliness.

"I brought a book, a new one," Mei managed to tear her eyes off Zarya and fumble the book out of the pocket of her sweater. She realized what a lump she looked in mismatched furs, lumpy wool and faded, tatty old flannel, and froze for a moment in bleek distress before relaxing again. Well it was too late now. And Zarya's impression of her as a techno bound chatterbox without social skills and multiple cold weather layers had been set weeks ago.

"New book? I remember we had not finished old one."

"I meant to give this to you, when I came to Volskya," Mei confessed, keeping her eyes down to avoid looking too guilty. "But things were so busy and serious, I didn't really get a chance, then when I did, I didn't think it would be professional," Mei lied.

"Ah, yes, that was busy time, first time we met," Zarya sat back comfortably, "If you could read, I would enjoy listening."

"You don't want to hear what it's about?" Mei teased.

Zarya smiled back at her, "Anything you choose will be good."

It was an old exchange. Zarya had never shown an interest or inclination to Mei's selection of the books, just enjoyed them thoroughly as Mei read them.

Mei sipped her tea to hide her smile, and flipped to find the first page.

She read. Zarya sat listening, with a little dreamy smile, sipping tea and gazing quietly at Mei in happy attention. They refilled their tea, and paused to nibble biscuits and sweets between chapters. Torbiorn came over and asked to join them, and at their instant and mutual invitation sat listening and drinking zavarka without adding water. An hour later, he thanked them both politely, patted Mei's hand fondly and went off to bed. Ana and Phareha cleaned up their table and wished them good night a little later. Mei read on, thought the first act of the story, smiling when Zarya gave a little gasp or low chuckle. She tried to focus on the words, the rhythm of the story, and not on the gentle patter of Zarya's pink tipped fingers on the rim of her mug.

Mei finished a chapter and yawned, opened her eyes to find Zarya watching her with a smile, and broke off in mid stretch to fold back into herself and blush.

"Is good story," Zarya said, "I'm glad you bought it for us."

"I'm sorry I didn't get it to you sooner," Mei began, but Zarya shook her head.

"No, is good now. It is better to see you reading not just hear you," Zarya set her empty mug on the table between them and stretched.

Mei realized that this had been the longest she'd ever seen Zarya sitting still. Two hours had gone by, and Zarya hadn't moved at all, though she often would during mission briefings, unable to sit idle for so long.

"I didn't mean to read for so long, I shouldn't have kept you," Mei mumbled, looking with horror at the huge chunk she hadn't realized she'd taken out of the book.

"I would like you to read on! Even more, but I know I am keeping you from your bed," Zarya stood, towered really, and began gathering up the empty samovar and the mugs.

"Oh yes," It was past midnight. The watchpoint was quiet around them.

Together, they cleaned up their table and Mei found a bookmark to slip between the pages of their novel. They'd gone through nearly a quarter in one sitting.

"Tomorrow night would you like to read more?" Mei asked as they finished cleaning up and turned to the door.

"Tomorrow? So soon?" Zarya sounded so surprised Mei was brought up short by it.

"Anytime, it doesn't have to be tomorrow I just thought..." Mei started, then paused, looking up, way up, way, way up at Zarya's beautiful face and shock of pink hair. She broke off, slightly stunned as she always felt by Zarya's impressive size and beauty. 

The tension drained out of Mei’s shoulders, as it always did when she was reminded just how far out of her league Zarya really was. There was no reason, at all, to be anxious about having a crush on someone so astonishingly wonderful. It would never matter anyway, so there was no reason to be anything but grateful to know them.  

"I want to read tomorrow. I thought you would be too busy to spend time," Zarya said, smiling gently down at Mei. "If you are, you don't need to make time for me."

"No no I want to," Mei hastily disclaimed all of her projects, assignments and other responsibilities. "Read tomorrow. I was silly to go so long without asking if you wanted to, or just shy, or uh..." She stumbled to a stop and curled her hands around the woolly sleeves of her sweater, tucking her hands up to her chest as she replayed what she'd said and feeling a flush rise in her cheeks.

"Shy?" Zarya sounded bewildered. "I thought..." Mei glanced up in alarm, caught Zarya's eye, and they both looked away abruptly. 

"I thought you weren't so inclined to spend time with me," Zarya said slowly, "You seemed frightened when we met in Volskya weeks ago. I would not have come, knowing you found me too frightening, arrogant or…” She broke off and shook her head then went on, “To be your friend. But arrangements were already underway. So I came but I didn't want to see our friendship die without fight so." Zarya shrugged, "I pester. But you are not rude, or curt, just quiet. So I ask to have tea but, I still think you're intimidated by me." 

Mei had been watching Zarya combing her hands in turn through her bright hair, then tucking both hands into the pocket on the front of her sweater. She could see the muscles of Zarya’s arms shifting under her skin as she tensed and relaxed by turns.

Then Mei’s head caught up with what Zarya had told her.

"No, that's wrong!" Mei shot to her full height. Zarya started slightly and looked down at her in amazement.

Mei caught Zarya's eye again, immediately lost the ability to speak, turned bright red and fought to control her hands before they covered her face. In the end, she stood with her hands tucked under her chin as she leant forward into her babbled explanation.

"No you're wrong," Mei gasped in a shaking breath and began babbling, "When I arrived in Volskya I was so excited to meet you I wanted to meet you so badly you became my best friend as we talked online I bought this book for us to share in Russia if we could find time to and then you greeted us off the transport you were so beautiful and tall and strong and confident and all our fights were so easy with you there I lost my nerve because I coulnd't help but admire you so much I didn't know what to say or how to act..." 

Zarya was staring with her mouth a little open. 

Mei gasped in a breath, reeled slightly, blinked and hurried on to try and make her understand. "I wanted to talk to you and read with you and tell you about how good those exercises you gave me were, my neck and back have never been better by the way, but I couldn't talk every time I saw you and even now when we're in the same room I get so shy and can't ask more than dumb questions or talk about the technical side of our weapons or armor and you're always so gentle and understanding and I really want to spend more time with you but I know that most of my time is spent staring at you like a votary unless I wasn't actually looking at you and..."

"Wait," Zarya shook her head a little, blinking. "My english is good, but not that good. Slow down. I don't think I understood."

Colour was rising in Zarya's cheeks Mei realized. Her hands had come out of her pocket to clasp in front of her, rubbing the thumb of one hand anxiously over the back of the other.

"Again, please," Zarya said plaintively, "Slowly now?"

"I’m not scared of you," Mei said, horrified that Zarya had thought as much. She realized suddenly that Zarya had never touched her, not since they'd shaken hands or by accident. Though she was happy to scoop Hana or Lena or Lucio up to her shoulder, or pick Junkrat up when he was becoming obnoxious. She hugged Reinhardt and lifted him off the ground, patted Pharah on the back and worked side by side with Winston. 

All this time, Zarya had been carefully, gently, giving Mei all the space she'd though Mei needed. That thought was too much for her.

"I just can't.. I don't know how to... It's just that I.." Mei faltered.

"Admire me," Zarya said slowly.

Want to kiss you. Mei's mind promptly corrected. Sleep draped across your glorious body. Feel your huge arms around me. Want the weight of your thighs over my shoulders when I'm face down between your legs. She went red and nodded.

"More than admire?" Zarya asked quietly.

Mei stifled her mind's roaring monologue of agreement, suggestions, scenarios and fantasies and nodded.

Zarya's flush darkened, and for a moment, neither of them said anything. Mei felt choked by her own heartbeat, and Zarya stood like a statue over Mei.

"I am glad," Zarya said finally, "That I don't frighten my only friend. And I must tell you, I admire you too."

Mei looked up, mouth open, at the tall, muscled beauty standing before her.

"Very much," Zarya added, she blinked down at Mei and opened her clasped hands, offering them to Mei.

Mei, feeling like she could be dreaming this and hoping she wasn't, put her hands into Zarya's. 

Zarya's hands were calloused from weight training, warm and broad and neatly manicured. Very gently, Zarya turned Mei's hands over in hers, studying them, then bent her head, and pressed a kiss to Mei's palms.

"I am glad," Zarya said still gently cradling Mei's hands to her mouth, "That you told me this."

"Me too," Mei managed. Her voice had nearly deserted her entirely again. She cupped Zarya's face in her hands, and brushed her thumbs gently over warm, tanned skin as she drew Zarya forward.

Zarya went easily, they both knew she wouldn't be moved if she didn't want to. Mei kissed her, standing up on her tippy-toes to reach up, and Zarya smiled against her mouth.

Mei made a tiny, embarrassingly contented little noise against Zarya's mouth, and pulled her a little more firmly in. Very slowly, Zarya's hands stroked down Mei's sides, gently holding her waist before sliding around her back and gathering her in close.

"Will you read to me tomorrow too?" Zarya whispered when they broke the kiss.

"Yes," Mei said, dazed, and slightly taken aback by the pace of recent events but absolutely positive on this point. "Yes but come to my room."

Zarya blushed, her face going hot between Mei's hands.

"Unless you'd rather come here," Mei added hastily.

"No, I would like to visit you in your room for our stories," Zarya smiled sweetly and met Mei's gaze again.

Mei let out tension she didn't know she'd been carrying, smiled back and pulled Zarya down and in for another kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! This is the first F/F Overwatch fic I've posted and I love these girls so much. I do have a second chapter planned, but it probably wont be posted until I've finished messing around with the London mission (which you get a bit of in the Reaper76 story).  
> I update regularly on Mondays, next week with be the first chapter in a new story with Roadhog and Junkrat and Lucio in a mermaid AU and I am really excited for it oh boy. *u*  
> If you have any requests or would like to see something more, please let me know! You can ask me anything on my Tumblr at leoandlancer.tumblr.com/ask or in the comments here. <3  
> This work was unbeta'd so any horribly embarrassing grammar or spelling mistakes are my own fault, and I apologize.


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